At Oleon, we are committed to reducing the effects of the chemical industry on the environment. We do this by focusing on a system that embraces natural chemistry during the conversion of natural fats and oils into fatty acids, glycerine, esters, dimers, technical oils, and speciality oleochemicals.
This cannot happen in isolation but requires partnerships with like-minded companies.
This is one of the reasons that we partnered with the INCITE project in 2019: to establish a sustainable European chemical industry in line with the targets set by SPIRE 2030.
As a contractual Public Private Partnership, SPIRE 2030 is dedicated to innovation in resource and energy efficiency and aimed at driving efficiency across three platforms namely:
- increasing the EU’s competitiveness in a global market
- to rejuvenate the European process industry
- to generate turnover, employment and while building on technological innovation.
The goal is to drive resource and energy efficiency while limiting the environmental impact of industrial activities.
Driving environmental sustainability
As a project, INCITE is aimed at accelerating a transition to a more flexible and sustainable chemical industry by fostering novel and integrated upstream and downstream processing systems at industrial level. This is done by focusing on flow chemistry and membrane technology in two chemo-enzymatic demonstration sites.
In line with these goals, the foundation and ground works for a new demo plant for enzymatic esterification were concluded at our Oelegem site near Antwerp, Belgium in August 2021 with completion aimed for the end of 2022. We know that for a project of this magnitude to be successful, it is critical for purposeful cooperation between all parties, sectors, and regions to address the research, development, innovation activities and policy matters required by the targets set by SPIRE 2030.
The Oleon team and our eight European partners involved in the INCITE project are committed to meeting the deadline to achieve key resource and energy efficiency targets including a reduction in fossil energy intensity of up to 30% from current levels.
These goals will be further facilitated by introducing novel energy-saving processes, process intensification, energy recovery, sustainable water management, cogeneration heat-power and progressive introduction of alternative (renewable) energy sources within the process cycle.
At Oleon, we are extremely proud of our involvement in the INCITE Project and committed to achieving the SPIRE 2030 resource and efficiency targets!
For more information on the project follow INCITE on Twitter @INCITE.EU or at www.project-incite-eu or simply talk to our team for more information.
About INCITE:
The INCITE Project will run over 52 months, from September 2019 to December 2023 with a total budget of €17.4mn. This includes €13.3mn funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme.
